Nightshade
by Dracstus
Summary: Kylin's life was turned upside down with the destruction of her village and death of her family. She fled to Skyrim to get away from it all- a fresh start. This however doesn't happen however as she's thrown into the turmoil of Skyrim. Dragons, civil war, and vampires threaten to destroy it all. What's worse though is that she has to shoulder it all as the Dragonborn.


Kylin shuddered wiping off the thin layer of cold sweat that coated her skin. Her eyes raced across her surroundings, paranoia rising at the slightest noise or movement. The dreams weren't getting any better but they weren't getting worse- not exactly. Shaking off the paranoia she went to work on cleaning up the small camp site she had made. It wasn't much, just a small fire with a thrown together tent that housed a rough looking bed roll. After the quick clean up she pulled on the thick layer of clothes she had discarded. By the time she was done it looked as if no one had even been there- save for the smoldering ember which she hoped wouldn't start any kind of major fire. Wrinkling her nose Kylin fished out the small map she had picked up, looking over it with mild curiosity. She already knew she was in Whiterun hold, and from the look of things she was coming up on Helgen. If she continued up the path she was on she'd run right into it and hopefully be able to stock back up on supplies...and possibly even grab and warm bed for a day or two.

Mind made up she began her trek towards Helgen, heart set on fresh food and ale. The crisp morning air felt nice on her skin as she walked, looking about the vibrant forest around her. It was a welcome change from Cyrodiil's humid jungles which while they were absolutely beautiful, weren't exactly the best due to the hot humidity. Wrinkling her nose Kylin paused sniffing at the air. Burning wood? No- there was something else mixed into the scent...something _familiar._ Cold sweat began to form along her spine as she picked apart the different smells- then it clicked. _Burning human flesh_. Flexing her fingers she shifted swallowing hard. It took a moment for the realization to kick in and another for Kylin to push away the fear building in her mind. She wasn't _there_ anymore, she was in _Skyrim_. They weren't here. Taking a deep breath she forced her feet forward moving towards the smell. If someone needed help then she wanted to try and do her best to help.

Moving through the shrubbery she noted the cave coming up, stopping in front of it for a moment. The smell coming out of it was faint, but it held the same familiar stench. She would come back to it but for now she had to move towards the source. It only took a minute to find the road that led into Helgen, which was now a burning heap of smoldering wood and burnt corpses.

Well there went her fresh supplies. Sucking in a breath she moved towards the crumbling gate, pushing through it without much effort. The smell was overwhelming and made her want to gag. Lifting the face mask from her neck she covered her nose, frowning at the scene. The keep was utterly destroyed, houses burnt to the ground, large claw marks across the stone of the walls and worst of all burnt corpses scattered across the ground. What had happened here? It wasn't anything she had witnessed before. While at first she had thought it may have been a massive bandit attack- or even an attack done by the Stormcloaks- the large claw marks on the stone said otherwise. There wasn't much to see, the entrances to the barracks were caved in and it was impossible to get to the other side of the keep due to the debris. _There's nothing left here._ Her fingers brushed the hilt of one of the axes at her side. _The cave may have been an escape route though_. Most keeps had escape tunnels leading out in case of emergencies, and with the cave she had passed so close by- not to mention the smell wafting out of it- it _had_ to be just that.

Doubling back she exited the ruined keep and slid down the small slope towards the cave, hesitating at its entrance. Even it were an escape route there were no promises that it was maintained- in fact a good handful typically weren't. The worst things she'd find however would either be a sleeping bear or some spiders- or both. Biting down on her lip she weighed the chances. If it were filled with predators then the likely hood of survivors getting out of there was low unless they were escorted by guards or soldiers- which, by the melted armor Kylin had saw, was a good chance. _If that's the case though then they probably would have made it out by now._ She kicked herself for letting the fear overtake her. If someone needed help then she needed to help them. Pushing forward she entered the cold cave, groaning as it quickly began to grow humid the further she went in. The walls and ground were slick with moisture causing Kylin to slip every-now-and-then which only added to her growing frustration. Why must she try and help people? Why couldn't she be like anyone else and _run away_ or _ignore_ the danger? Well, her curiosity was one of those reasons she figured. She had always had a curious mind which more often then not got her in trouble.

Gripping the slick wall she glared at the floor. It wasn't just that though- ever since that night she had wanted to help as many people as possible. Merely because she _hadn't gotten any_. No one in her village had- in fact it was like they had never existed in the first place after the event. Nearby villages and towns noted what had happened but never spoke of it, never went to try and find survivors. Biting her tongue she shoved the thoughts away into the deep confines of her mind. Now wasn't the time to be thinking back on that. Continuing forward she sighed in relief as the narrow passage opened up into a large chamber. It was partially lit by a hole in the roof allowing for a thick beam of light to illuminate the surroundings. There was a river not far from that with a cart off to the side, broken. In front of that cart was a breathing heap- though she couldn't tell what _kind_ of heap, it lay in the darkness of a pillar.

Kylin eyed the heap as she moved towards it, stopping when she caught a second one out of her left peripheral. This one she could clearly tell was human. They lay curled up in the middle of the beam, their breathing raged and slow. Her eyes flashed between them and the second one, hesitation rooting her in place. Which one should she help first? The one closest to her she could tell was an injured human, which couldn't do her much harm. The other one however...well they weren't as big as a bear...and it did have a similar shape as the other one. With a heavy sigh she moved towards the closest one, leaning down to examine the damage. It was a male- Nord or Imperial she couldn't tell, his bloodied and bruised face made it quite hard. He had a copper tone to his short hair, the strong muscled build of a soldier and the light leather armor most entry level imperial soldiers wore. Although a good bit of his armor was damaged with a mix of deep gashes, burnt areas, and stone debris stuck in other areas.

Taking a seat above the man she positioned his head on her lap, eliciting a groan from his battered lips. Slinging the ruck sack off her back Kylin fished out a red vial from one of the pockets, popping off the cork and pressing it to the mans lips. He swallowed the concoction slowly breathing deeply once she removed the vial. Kylin watched as his smaller wounds began to close up. It would take more to close up the larger ones, but for the time being he would be alright. The potion while not being able to deal with them like that would at least create a blood clot, stopping anymore bleeding and also give his body a boost. His breathing leveled out within a minute and soon he was moving his lips, trying hard to form words. "Hush, you need to save your strength." Kylin whispered, unstrapping her bed roll from her pack and stuffing it under the mans head.

Hauling herself up she made her way towards the second heap, vial in hand. Approaching the body with caution Kylin looked over the heap. It was human alright, with the same muscled build as the other. Leaning down she wrapped her arms under his and slowly began dragging the groaning man into the lit area. _Gods what does this man eat? He's heavier then a giant_. Kylin snorted as she knelled down taking the mans head into her lap to do the same process. He was a Nord, his strong facial features, thick build and dirty blonde hair making it quite obvious. He wasn't an imperial soldier however- in fact she wasn't sure _what_ he was. The armor he wore was tan and blue in color but it didn't ring any bells...although she had a sneaking suspicion that he was a Stormcloak. It didn't matter though, not to her anyway. While Stormcloak's didn't sound like the best people in the world she had heard that they were by no means monsters...and she understood their cause.

It took him no time at all to drain the potion, coughing violently as he sat up. He wasn't as injured as the other one which meant he could help her drag the soldier out of the cave. Turning around he eyed Kylin his piercing blue eyes running over her body before flashing towards the Imperial Soldier. "Hadvar..." He muttered biting his lower lip. "He's in bad condition, will you help me get him out of here? The exit isn't far." Kylin said quickly already getting up and moving towards Hadvar.

Rolaf wasn't sure of the situation and hesitated as he watched the girl remove the bedroll from underneath Hadvar's bloodied head. It was hard seeing his old friend in this condition- surprisingly hard since he thought he had eliminated his emotions for the man. Rubbing his neck Rolaf stared at the floor. Hadvar needed his help and the girl obviously wasn't concerned with the fact that they were technically enemies- unless she didn't _know_. He considered it for a moment, glancing at the girl. She was a medium sized girl he figured, not short but not tall with a rather fit looking build. Two ancient Nordic axes hung at her sides, strapped to the thick fur clothes she wore. He couldn't tell whether she was an Imperial or Nord though- she looked more like a mix of the two with strong but soft features, a more Nord like nose with silver eyes. Her dark brown- nearly black hair- was just passed her shoulder with the top portion pulled back in a wolfs tail. She was a striking young girl, that was for sure.

"Are you going to help or not?" Kylin asked now glaring at the blonde Nord. He had been staring at her for minutes now which only caused her frustration to sky rocket.

"Y-Yes of course, forgive me I'm still in a bit of shock..."

"I wouldn't call that shock."

Rolaf swallowed hard as he slipped on the other side of Hadvar, looping his arm around his still sore shoulder. Kylin let out a huff as they started towards the exit. She had never been fond of people looking over her body like that, examining every detail. It was uncomfortable even if they didn't mean it in _that_ way. Taking a breath she shifted Hadvar's arm slightly. "So what's your name, Stormcloak?"

"Rolaf, and yours lass?"

"Kylin. What happened to Helgen?"

A cold shiver ran down Rolaf's spine at the question. "Ah...I'm not sure. Those Imperial bastards were starting to execute us but before they were able to finish a black beast attacked the keep. No- not a beast, a _dragon_." Kylin raised any eyebrow at the answer. Normally she would question him but from what she had scene from inside the keep...then again, dragon's had been dead for years now.

"Dragon's have been gone for ages...but..." She trailed off as they exited the cave.

"I'm not lying to you lass, Hadvar here can tell you the same thing...if he even survives." Rolaf muttered darkly.

"He'll survive as long as we get him to somewhere he can properly rest. How far is Riverwood from here?"

Rolaf wrinkled his nose "Not far we just need to follow this path."

Roughly thirty minutes later and another vial for Hadvar they had Riverwood insight. The Guards on the wall paused as they noticed the three travelers, noting the familiar forms of Rolaf and Hadvar. They had already heard the rumors of Helgen- the two of them must have been coming from the keep though none of them recognized the young girl with them. Kylin and Rolaf drug Hadvar through the main entrance, stopping in front of the blacksmith forge to the left. "That's Hadvar's home, my family owns the wood mill." Rolaf sighed.

"Would you mind helping-" Kylin was cut off as Rolaf switched out with one of the guards.

"Sorry lass, our family's don't exactly get along and I need to go check on my kin." He smiled walking off before Kylin could get a word out. _Ass_. She thought glaring after him. She thanked the guard as he knocked on the door of Hadvar's home clucking his tongue as a large burly man answered. The mans hazel eyes grew wide as he looked over Hadvar's body. "By the gods..." he breathed.

"He needs a bed." Kylin murmured meeting the mans gaze. He was obviously Hadvar's father- tall and muscled with tied back blonde hair and a thick beard. He quickly took his son into his arms dragging him inside and laying him on one of the nearby beds. "What in the name of Ysmir happened?"

"Helgen was attacked by... _something_. Hadvar and one other managed to get out, I found them in a nearby cave. Hadvar's already had two healing potions so he should be alright but he needs ample rest." Kylin answered gently watching as Hadvar's father began to slowly peel his sons armor off. "Sigrid I need your help!" The man called followed by a quick tapping of feet as a tall blonde woman appeared from the steps that led to the lower levels of the house. She only took one look at her son before wetting a piece of cloth, gently cleaning Hadvar's face and limbs. Shifting her weight Kylin inched back towards the door of the house, unsure of what to do. She had helped delivered Hadvar to his family...there wasn't much else she could do now. Alvor noticed she girls expression and forced a smile.

"Thank you lass, we'll take it from here. Why don't you head to the Sleeping Giant Inn and get some food and ale? Ask Delphine for a room and tell her to put it on my tab."

"Are...are you sure? I have more vials if you need..." Alvor held his hand up shaking his head.

"No need, we've got it. Go and get some food and rest child, Ysmir knows you've earned it."

Kylin nodded swallowing as she slipped out of the house and into the village. "Is he gonna live?" Kylin jumped at the voice snapping her head to the left. The guard who had helped was leaning against the house, his helmet in the crook of his arm. His dark brown shoulder length hair framed his tan face, baby blue eyes drilling into Kylin's.

"Yes I believe he will."

The guard nodded satisfied with the answer. "Let me buy you a drink? I've got a favor to ask."

Kylin sighed taking another deep sip of the ale. The guards, it turned out, had already heard about Helgen- well, partially. There had been rumors from a traveler that had noticed the smoke but hadn't gone towards the keep themselves. Not to mention one of the villagers had been raving about seeing a large black dragon while out and about- and Alvor himself had heard a guttural roar while mining ore not far from Riverwood.

"Jarl Balgruuf needs to know the situation, we already sent a messenger but rumors typically don't get much notice. We would send another guard but as you can see...Riverwood needs all the protection it can get. You pretty much know what happened there so you can explain and hopefully get some guards over here. We need more guards if we plan on fending off a scaled beast."

"I understand the situation" Kylin murmured swirling her ale around. Balgruuf was the Jarl of Whiterun, that much she knew- and if she went to the capital she could stock up on much needed supplies. "Do you need me to leave as soon as possible?"

The guard smiled at the girl, it was good to have someone so willing to help. "No, you need some rest. Eat, drink and sleep and we'll leave in the morning."

"I thought you said Riverwood needed all of its guards?"

"Ah, it does, but Rolaf is back and I'm sure he'd more then happy to fill in for me. By the way the names Jalkas." He grinned extending his hand.

"Kylin, good to know I'll have someone to show me the way." She smiled gripping his hand. The two of them drank for a short while longer before Jalkas went back to his duties leaving Kylin alone to enjoy the music in the Inn. She watched in silence as a few of the patrons began to dance, their hearty drunken laughter filling the interior. Riverwood was a nice little village, somewhere Kylin wouldn't mind actually living in. The locals were kind and tight knit, the food and ale were great and the music was soothing.

"Your room is prepared for whenever you decide to sleep." Kylin turned towards the warm voice. A tall blonde headed woman stood beside her, light green eyes bright in the fires light. She looked to be in her late thirties, but she was beautiful. Kylin already knew it was Delphine, the owner of the Inn.

"Ah thank you- Alvor...asked me to put it on his tab? I'd rather pay though." Delphine chuckled shaking her head

"No, it would be disrespectful to do that. Alvor doesn't do that very often."

"I'll pay him back later on then if that's the case." Kylin smiled taking another sip of the ale.

"I believe the room is a payment towards you for helping his son."

Kylin paused for a moment letting out a small sigh. That was a good point. Fine she would figure out a different way to thank Alvor for the room. She doubted he realized how important it was to her to have an actual bed to sleep on after she had been sleeping on the forest floor in a torn bed roll for weeks. Leaning against the table Delphine eyed the girl. There was something about her- something _important_. She hadn't missed the faint power her voice gave off, the way it made her body shiver whenever she spoke. Not to mention the fire behind her silver eyes which she swore had a faint glow to them.

"Well" Delphine sighed "let me know if there is anything you need. I'll wake you whenever Jalkas come's in." Kylin thanked the inn keeper yawning as she walked away. It was time for her to turn in- after all it had been a _long_ day.


End file.
